This study investigated the relationship between taxes and income inequality in Nigeria from 1980 to 2020. The specific objectives were to investigate the relationship between personal income tax and Gini coefficient, evaluate the relationship between company’s income tax and Gini coefficient, assess the relationship between petroleum profit tax and Gini coefficient, determine the relationship between capital gain tax and Gini coefficient, investigate the relationship between value added tax and Gini coefficient, evaluate the relationship between custom and excise duty and Gini coefficient from 1980 to 2020 in Nigeria. The study adopted ex post facto and correlational research design. The population of the study consisted of taxes and gini coefficient in Nigeria from 1980 to 2020. The secondary data were sourced from Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of various publications ranging from 1980 to 2020. The study used univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. The results revealed a positive and insignificant relationship between personal income tax company’s income tax (CIT), petroleum profit tax (PPT), capital gain tax (CGT), value added tax (VAT), custom excise duties (CED) and Gini coefficient for the period under study, while strong positive relationship when literacy rate moderate tax structure, and weak positive and insignificant relationship. On the basis of the findings, the study concluded that taxes such as personal income tax, company income tax, petroleum profit tax, capital gain tax, value added tax and customs and excise duties influence the level of income inequality in Nigeria. The study recommends, amongst other things, that the government should ensure compliance to tax payments, because taxes provide a powerful policy tool effectively used for curing economic and social ills and should not to be set too high, as this would discourage investments.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.